Lamp assembly

ABSTRACT

A lamp assembly for a vehicle configured to display a logo or other indicia in the form of a virtual image indicium. The lamp assembly includes a dark chamber having a mirror image indicium with an indicium light source associated with the dark chamber, and a light chamber having an associated primary light source. A transparent divider is configured to reflect the mirror image indicium when the indicium light source is illuminated to create the virtual image indicium that is perceivable by an observer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 16/778,056filed on Jan. 31, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/801,944 filed on Feb. 6, 2019, the entirecontents of each are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention generally relates to lamp assemblies, and moreparticularly, to automotive lamp assemblies that can selectively displayindicia.

BACKGROUND

Optical branding features can enhance the aesthetics of a vehicle.Optical branding is oftentimes accomplished with relatively complex, andsometimes expensive, optics to achieve the desired result. Further, withsuch systems, the logo or some other type of indicium must be projectedonto a surface, which may be non-reflective or otherwise distort theimagery.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, there is provided a lamp assemblycomprising: a dark chamber having a mirror image indicium; an indiciumlight source associated with the dark chamber; a light chamber; aprimary light source associated with the light chamber; and atransparent divider located at least partially between the dark chamberand the light chamber and configured to reflect the mirror imageindicium when the indicium light source is illuminated to create avirtual image indicium.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a lamp assembly,comprising: a dark chamber; a light chamber; an outer lens configuredwith a transparent portion and an opaque portion, the opaque portionbeing situated at least partially over the dark chamber; and atransparent divider configured to create a virtual image indicium atleast partially visible in the light chamber through the transparentportion of the outer lens.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a method of operatinga lamp assembly, the lamp assembly comprising a dark chamber having amirror image indicium and an indicium light source associated with thedark chamber, and a light chamber and a primary light source associatedwith the light chamber, and a transparent divider located at leastpartially between the dark chamber and the light chamber. The methodcomprises the steps of: illuminating the mirror image indicium with theindicium light source associated with the dark chamber to create avirtual image indicium; and illuminating the transparent divider withthe primary light source associated with the light chamber so that thevirtual image indicium is no longer visible.

DRAWINGS

Preferred exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described inconjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denotelike elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of an automotive vehicle having a number of lampassemblies;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of one of the lamp assemblies of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the lamp assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial front view of a lamp assembly in accordance with oneembodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a partial front view of a lamp assembly in accordance withanother embodiment.

DESCRIPTION

The lamp assemblies described herein provide a less complex, morecost-effective optical design and/or branding technique for vehicleapplications. The lamp assemblies can be used in various vehicleapplications to show indicia as a virtual image in the lamp when thelamp is not in use. For example, the lamp assemblies include twoseparate light sources associated with a light chamber and a darkchamber, respectively. The light chamber and the dark chamber areseparated by a transparent divider. A mirror image indicium, which couldinclude a vehicle brand or logo, for example, is located in the darkchamber. When illuminated with the light source associated with the darkchamber, the mirror image indicium is reflected on the transparentdivider, creating a virtual image indicium viewable in the lightchamber. When the light source associated with the light chamber isilluminated, the lamp assembly operates as a normal vehicle light andthe virtual image indicium is no longer visible. The lamp assembliesherein provide optical branding capabilities that can avoid the use ofexpensive projector systems or the like to facilitate operation.

FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle 10 that includes lamp assemblies 12, 14,16, 18, 20, 22. The description herein is focused on the lamp assembly12; however, the components, configurations, operations, etc. of thelamp assembly 12 are applicable to other lamp implementations, includingthe lamp assemblies 14-22, for example. Oftentimes, it is desirable tohave a symmetrical appearance, so embodiments of the vehicle 10 thatinclude a lamp assembly 12 can also have the same indicia in thecorresponding other lamp assembly 14 on the other side of the vehicle,for example. Moreover, while the preferred implementation isvehicle-based, other applications are possible. Further, othervehicle-based implementations are possible beyond what is illustratedherein. As shown in FIG. 1, the lamp assemblies of the vehicle 10include tail lamp assemblies, or more particularly, rear combinationlamp (RCL) assemblies including backup lamp assemblies 12, 14; headlightlamp assemblies 16, 18; and interior lamp assemblies 20, 22. Theinterior lamp assembly 20 may be a dome light or some other opticaldevice within the interior of the vehicle 10. The interior lamp assembly22 may be a center high-mount stop light (CHMSL) lamp assembly or thelike. The lamp assemblies work advantageously well with applicationshaving a clear outer lens with no optics (e.g., the outer lens hassmooth outer surfaces without sharp ridges, the outer surface includingthe surface facing the interior of the housing and the surface facingthe observer). Each lamp assembly 12-22 may be connected to anelectronic control unit (ECU) 23, which in one embodiment, is a vehiclebody control module (BCM) having an electronic processor and memory, viaa vehicle communication network, bus 25 or the like. The ECU 23 cancontrol operation of the various light sources in each lamp assembly12-22.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic top views of the backup portion of the lampassembly 12. FIG. 2 shows a first mode of operation, as a standard lamp,with a primary light source 24 illuminated in a light chamber 26. FIG. 3shows a second mode of operation, detailed more fully below, with anindicium light source 28 illuminated in a dark chamber 30. A transparentdivider 32 is situated at least partially between the light chamber 26and the dark chamber 30. The transparent divider 32 reflects anilluminated mirror image indicium 34 when the indicium light source 28is energized, which creates a virtual image indicium 36 that appears tobe floating within the light chamber 26.

The primary light source 24 and the indicium light source 28 areconfigured to illuminate the light chamber 26 and the dark chamber 30,respectively. The light sources 24, 28 may be included in any operableform, such as a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emittingdiode (OLED), a bulb, etc. As will be detailed further below, in oneembodiment, the indicium light source 28 is an LED or OLED screenmounted in the dark chamber 30. In FIGS. 2 and 3, if the primary lightsource 24 is a bulb, it is desirable to centrally locate it with respectto a reflector 38. The reflector 38, which is a bowl-shaped reflector,may be included in applications such as the tail or RCL lamp assemblies12, 14 and/or the head lamp assemblies 16, 18 where it is desirable topromote light transmission toward and through an outer lens 40. It isalso possible to use the reflector 38 with other light source types,such as LEDs or OLEDs. Further, while the light sources areschematically illustrated, it is possible to vary the light sourcenumber and configuration from that particularly shown. For example, itmay be desirable to have additional light sources associated with eitherthe light chamber 26 and/or the dark chamber 30. Also, the light sources24, 28 may be alternately positioned from what is schematicallyillustrated.

The light chamber 26 is an area of the lamp assembly 12 that isassociated with the primary light source 24. In this embodiment, thelight chamber 26 is generally defined by the transparent divider 32, thereflector 38, and possibly an outer housing 42 which is schematicallyillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the mode of operation shown in FIG. 2,the lamp assembly 12 works as a standard backup lamp. Accordingly, whenthe primary light source 24 is illuminated, light shines in the lightchamber 26, through the transparent divider 32, into a reflectionchamber 44, and out of a transparent portion 46 in the outer lens 40.The reflection chamber 44 is largely situated between the light chamber26 and the dark chamber 30. An observer 48 within a primary viewing area50 will perceive the light from the primary light source 24 as it shinesin the light chamber 26, through the transparent divider 32 andreflection chamber 44, and out of the transparent portion 46 in theouter lens. The light chamber 26 does not need to be substantially litup, per se, but it is preferably more perceivable from the primaryviewing area 50 than the dark chamber 30 is.

The dark chamber 30 is an area of the lamp assembly 12 that isassociated with the indicium light source 28. The dark chamber 30 doesnot need to be substantially darkened, per se, but it is lessperceivable from the primary viewing area 50 than the light chamber 26is. This is at least partially due to the presence of one or more opaquewalls 52, 54, 56. In the illustrated embodiment, the opaque wall 56 isan opaque portion 58 in the outer lens 40. This opaque portion 58 of thedark chamber 30 helps block the mirror image indicium 34, which ishoused in the dark chamber, from the primary viewing area 50. The otheropaque walls 52, 54 may be integrated with the outer housing 42.Further, in some embodiments, there may not be an opaque wall 52, or thewalls 52, 54, 56 may be configured differently than what is illustrated.For example, there could be one cylindrically shaped wall that at leastpartially blocks part of the primary viewing area 50. Other examples arecertainly possible.

The transparent divider 32 at least partially divides the light chamber26 and the dark chamber 30. The transparent divider 32 helps define atriangular shaped reflection chamber 44 that is located largely betweenthe dark chamber 30 and the outer lens 40. The transparent divider 32includes a dark chamber facing surface 60 and a light chamber facingsurface 62. The surfaces 60, 62 of the transparent divider 32 are planarsurfaces that extend from an end of the dark chamber 30 at the opaquewall 52 (if present) toward the outer lens 40.

The transparent divider 32 is arranged such that when the indicium lightsource 28 is illuminated, the transparent divider will reflect theilluminated mirror image indicium 34 to create the virtual imageindicium 36, as shown in FIG. 3. To the observer 48, the transparentdivider 32 is generally not visible, such that the virtual imageindicium 36, which is a pure reflection of the mirror image indicium 34,appears to float in space in the light chamber 26. To better conceal thetransparent divider 32 from the observer 48, the edges 68, 70 can belocated behind the opaque wall 52 of the dark chamber 30 and anotheropaque portion 72 in the outer lens 40, respectively.

The transparent divider 32 is advantageously a clear piece of plastic,for example acrylic or polycarbonate, although other materials may beused. In one embodiment, a reflectance percentage of the transparentdivider 32 is between 5-6% per surface 60, 62, at a 45° angle ofincidence, as shown. This results in an approximately 10-12% totalreflectance. In this embodiment, it is possible to generate the mirrorimage indicium 34 with a relatively low-power LED as the light source 28and get a perceivable virtual image indicium 36, even during thedaytime. However, in implementations such as those shown, in which thelamp assembly 12 is used as a backup lamp, the primary light source 24should be about 10-12% brighter than normal, since this amount will bereflected by the transparent divider 32, out of the desired beampattern. Accordingly, it is desirable in some implementations toproportionally increase the brightness of the primary light source 24 toaccount for the per surface 60, 62 reflectance of the transparentdivider 32.

The transparent divider 32 is configured to create the virtual imageindicium 36 when the indicium light source 28 is illuminated. Theorientation of the transparent divider 32 is preferably about 40-50°, ormore advantageously 45°, at one or more of the angles θ₁, θ₂, and θ₃. Asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the angle θ₁ is an angle with respect to thetransparent divider 32 and an axis aligned with the primary viewingdirection 64 of the observer 48 (the primary viewing direction 64 beinggenerally orthogonal to the outer lens 40). The angle θ₂ is an anglewith respect to the transparent divider 32 and the dark chamber 30(e.g., a line orthogonal to the opaque wall 52, a line parallel to theopaque wall 54, or an axis that is aligned with the opening of the darkchamber). The angle θ₃ is an angle with respect to the transparentdivider 32 and an axis aligned with the mirror image indicium 34 asshown. Having one or more of the angles θ₁, θ₂, and θ₃ at 45° can helpcreate a pure reflection of the mirror image indicium 34 at thetransparent divider 32, which appears as the virtual image indicium 36,now in its normal orientation, floating in space in the lamp assembly12.

With particular reference to FIGS. 3-5, when the primary light source 24is not energized, the indicium light source 28 can be energized toprovide optical branding through the reflection of the mirror imageindicium 34. The mirror image indicium 34 is preferably one or morelogos, words, abbreviations, designs, shapes, symbols, etc. that arereversed from the desired viewing orientation. In an advantageousembodiment, the mirror image indicium 34 is a backwards logo. The mirrorimage indicium 34 may include a 2-D or 3-D object that is situated inthe dark chamber 30. The mirror image indicium 34 could be mounted orotherwise integrated with the opaque wall 54.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, mirror image indicia 34′ is presented on asmall display 66 that is mounted to or otherwise located with, orwithin, the opaque wall 54. The display 66, which could be an LED orOLED display, can then also serve as the indicium light source 28. Themirror image indicia 34′ may be a logo, which is displayed on thedisplay 66 located on the opaque wall 54 in reverse. Then, upon poweringof the indicium light source 28 (preferably when the primary lightsource 24 is not energized) the mirror image indicia 34′ is projectingonto the transparent divider 32, which reflects it, forming the virtualimage indicia 36′. Since the transparent divider 32 is not generallyviewable by the observer 48, the virtual image indicia 36′ appears tofloat in space in the light chamber 26 (which would be behind thetransparent divider 32 in the partial front views of FIGS. 4 and 5 inwhich the outer lens 40 is removed).

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a mirror image indicium 34″. In thisembodiment, the mirror image indicium 34″ is a 3-D object, such as anornament or 3-D badge or logo. One advantage of the lamp assembly 12 isits ability to preserve the 3-D characteristics of the mirror imageindicium 34″ in the corresponding virtual image indicium 36″, since thereflection by the transparent divider 32 is a pure reflection.Accordingly, the 3-D object appears to float in space in its entirety inthe light chamber 26. To facilitate this, the 3-D object may be held inplace with a transparent fixture in the dark chamber 30. In otherembodiments, however, the mirror image indicium or indicia could be asimple 2-D sticker, a printed logo, or some other design.

Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer lens 40 can be configured and willlikely vary depending on the desired application for the lamp assembly12. For example, the outer lens 40 need not be generally planar asschematically illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, but may be rounded orotherwise shaped to conform to the particular application.Advantageously, at least a portion of the outer lens 40 is a transparentplastic with no optics so as to help keep the integrity of the virtualimage indicium 36. The transparent portion 46 is advantageously clear insome embodiments, as this allows for the presentation of a colored ormulti-colored virtual image indicia 36. However, other colored lensesare possible and will depend on the desired implementation. If theindicia 34, 36 are used with a standard tail lamp having only a redouter lens, it may be desirable to use black for the mirror imageindicia 34 to promote visibility in the virtual image indicia 36.Accordingly, use of a monochromatic (e.g., black) indicia 34, 36 isdesirable in implementations where a colored (i.e., not clear) outerlens 40 is used.

As illustrated and described, the outer lens 40 may include thetransparent portion 46 and/or the opaque portions 58, 72. However, inother embodiments, the outer lens 40 may only include the transparentportion 46 in front of the reflection chamber 44, the transparentdivider 32, and the light chamber 26. The dark chamber 30 may be aseparate component not otherwise integrated directly with the outer lens40. Also, in some embodiments, there may not be an outer lens 40, orthere could be one or more additional lenses beyond what is illustrated.Other transparent portions may also be included, such as with an RCLassembly 12, 14, where another red transparent portion for the tail lampis included directly or indirectly adjacent to the clear backup lamptransparent portion 46.

The outer housing 42 can be configured and will likely vary depending onthe desired application for the lamp assembly 12. The outer housing 42may be shaped to fit into a particular location with respect to thevehicle 10, and may include various circuitry, controllers, etc.,depending on the implementation, to facilitate operation of the lampassembly. In an advantageous embodiment, both light sources 24, 28 areoperably coupled to the ECU 23 via the CAN bus 25 or another connectionsystem of the vehicle 10 to control operation. The ECU 23 can be set, inone embodiment, to energize or power the indicium light source 28whenever the primary light source 24 is not illuminated, and todeenergize or turn off the indicium light source 28 when the primarylight source 24 is illuminated.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one ormore preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention isnot limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but ratheris defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statementscontained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodimentsand are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the inventionor on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term orphrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and variouschanges and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments,changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of theappended claims.

As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example,”“e.g.,” “for instance,” “such as,” and “like,” and the verbs“comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, whenused in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or otheritems, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listingis not to be considered as excluding other, additional components oritems. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonablemeaning unless they are used in a context that requires a differentinterpretation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A lamp assembly, comprising: a dark chamberhaving a screen configured to display a mirror image indicium; a lightchamber; and a divider located at least partially between the darkchamber and the light chamber, wherein the divider is configured toreflect the mirror image indicium when the screen is illuminated tocreate a virtual image indicium.
 2. The lamp assembly of claim 1,wherein the screen is a light emitting diode (LED) screen or an organicLED screen.
 3. The lamp assembly of claim 1, wherein the lamp assemblyis an interior lamp for a vehicle.
 4. The lamp assembly of claim 1,wherein the lamp assembly is an exterior lamp for a vehicle.
 5. The lampassembly of claim 1, wherein the divider is a transparent divider madeof an acrylic-based or polycarbonate-based material so that areflectance percentage is between 5-6% per surface.
 6. The lamp assemblyof claim 1, wherein the dark chamber includes a wall having an opaqueportion.
 7. The lamp assembly of claim 6, wherein the opaque portion ofthe wall at least partially blocks the mirror image indicium from beingobserved by an observer.
 8. A lamp assembly, comprising: a dark chamberhaving a mirror image indicium and a wall having an opaque portion; anindicium light source associated with the dark chamber; and a dividerlocated adjacent to the dark chamber, wherein the divider is configuredto reflect the mirror image indicium when the indicium light source isilluminated to create a virtual image indicium.
 9. The lamp assembly ofclaim 8, wherein the indicium light source is a light emitting diode(LED) screen or an organic LED screen.
 10. The lamp assembly of claim 8,wherein the opaque portion of the wall at least partially blocks themirror image indicium from being observed by an observer.
 11. The lampassembly of claim 8, further comprising an outer lens configured with atransparent portion and an opaque portion, the opaque portion beingsituated at least partially over the dark chamber.
 12. The lamp assemblyof claim 11, wherein the divider at least partially defines a triangularshaped reflection chamber located at least partially between the darkchamber and the outer lens.
 13. The lamp assembly of claim 8, whereinthe divider is a transparent divider made of an acrylic-based orpolycarbonate-based material so that a reflectance percentage is between5-6% per surface.
 14. The lamp assembly of claim 8, wherein the divideris located at least partially between the dark chamber and a lightchamber.
 15. The lamp assembly of claim 14, wherein the virtual imageindicium is configured to appear within the light chamber.
 16. A lampassembly, comprising: a light chamber; a mirror image indicium; a wallhaving an opaque portion, wherein the opaque portion of the wall issituated at least partially around the mirror image indicium; and adivider configured to create a virtual image indicium from the mirrorimage indicium, wherein the divider is configured so that virtual imageindicium appears, from a primary viewing direction of an observer, to beat least partially located in the light chamber.
 17. The lamp assemblyof claim 16, wherein the wall at least partially defines a dark chamber.18. The lamp assembly of claim 17, wherein an indicium light source isassociated with the dark chamber.
 19. The lamp assembly of claim 18,wherein the indicium light source is a light emitting diode (LED) screenor an organic LED screen configured to display the mirror imageindicium.
 20. The lamp assembly of claim 17, wherein a plurality ofindicium light sources are associated with the dark chamber.